The story
of the Triton Plaque is long and very complex. It involves dusty books, bad
Latin, sleepless nights, hot foundries, temperamental woodcarvers, Spanish
grandees, hair loss and German Admirals. We plan to put the whole story on a
separate website page one day, but for now, the short version will have to do.

Suffice
it to say that when Ned Beach came back to New London on 5 May 1960 with orders
to take Triton around the world, he asked Tom Thamm to design a plaque that
would commemorate the voyage. He also told Thamm that we would follow Magellan's
route. Thamm had 8 days to do it - and a few other things. It got done. The
Triton plaque is 23" in diameter, inscribed with lines of latitude and
longitude. In the center is a replica of Magellan's flagship, the Trinidad.
Beneath the ship are the dates 1519 - 1960, commemorating Trinidad's
departure from Sanlucar de Barrameda, Spain and Triton's departure from New
London. Around the ship is a wreath of laurel, used by the ancient Greeks to
crown victors. At the wreath base are submarine dolphins. Around the
circumference is the raised inscription, "Ave Nobilis Dux - Iterum Factum
Est" which means, "Hail Noble Captain - It is Done Again." The
original is mounted on the wall of the city hall of Sanlucar de Barrameda.
Copies hang in the Mystic Seaport Museum, the U.S. Naval Academy, the Naval
Historical Association in Washington and the Submarine School and Submarine
Library in Groton.